Cryer's Cross in Once Upon a Twilight blog

May 16, 2011 Between the Covers rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal, mystery

Reviewed by Christin for Between the Covers

The countdown widget for this book, as well as the trailer, both seemed to promise a story that was deliciously creepy. Cryer's Cross did not disappoint.

"The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets." So the cover of Cryer's Cross proclaims, and how true it is. Kendall Fletcher's entire routine is shaken by the disappearance of Tiffany Quinn. Despite her OCD, Kendall tries to move on as best she can; after all, she has soccer, Julliard, and her quasi-bo Reviewed by Christin for Between the Covers

The countdown widget for this book, as well as the trailer, both seemed to promise a story that was deliciously creepy. Cryer's Cross did not disappoint.

"The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets." So the cover of Cryer's Cross proclaims, and how true it is. Kendall Fletcher's entire routine is shaken by the disappearance of Tiffany Quinn. Despite her OCD, Kendall tries to move on as best she can; after all, she has soccer, Julliard, and her quasi-boyfriend Nico to think about. But then Nico disappears as well, and Kendall's mind is permanently locked on overdrive. When another search turns up nothing, she tries desperately to distract herself - even if it means spending time with Jacian, the seemingly rude, brooding, and yet undeniably hot new senior in town. Eventually Kendall notices something strange, courtesy of her OCD: The graffiti on Nico's desk is changing. New messages are there, and what's more, that's the same desk that Tiffany Quinn sat in before she disappeared. Kendall is strangely drawn to the desk, to the voice that must be Nico's. If only she can learn enough from the messages, she knows she can save him. But in a small town, things are never what they seem...

Even though I'd heard about Cryer's Cross from fellow bloggers and seen good reviews of it, I kept thinking of it as "one of those books I'll read when I have time." Then I went to the Lisa McMann signing and heard her read the first chapter. And I was hooked. I read the book in a few hours one afternoon, because, once I started, I couldn't put it down. Kendall is such a relatable character; even people without OCD suffer from recurring thoughts and preoccupations. I loved that she was interested in both athletics and arts and that, even though she became close with Marlena, she could still be one of the guys. And then there was the creepy/paranormal factor. The comments from "WE" were, in a word, chilling. Piecing them together as Kendall tried to unravel the secrets of the desk and the town definitely made for a compelling read. I had my suspicions, but I would never have put everything together quite the way it was in the end.

The only thing I wanted from this book was more - I wasn't quite ready to let Kendall and Jacian go at the end. And while Lisa has a very clean, effective writing style (and one in which present-tense definitely works), occasionally I wanted more description, or perhaps a bit more of the character from the "WE" sections in the rest of the book.

Overall, Cryer's Cross is a great mystery with just the right amount of paranormal elements and a dash of romance added in. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read the Wake trilogy, but I will definitely be reading that soon, and I cannot wait for Lisa's new novel, The Unwanteds, that will be released in September! ...more

Like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Littlebearries rated it liked it

Cryer’s Cross
by Lisa McMann

Story Title: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Ending: 3/5

Synopsis:
(from Goodreads): The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. A ...more

Like · see review

Jan 10, 2011 Andrea Newkirk rated it it was amazing

My Review: Why is it really difficult to talk about a book that you really love? Cryer's Cross is just too amazing for words. I was literally speechless after I closed the last page of the book.

I have never read a book so fast in my life; I was sucked in right from the beginning and refused to put it down. I neglected everything for a few hours and finished Cryer's Cross in one setting.

The author, Lisa Mcmann, knows how to capture her readers. This book had a mix of everything: from death, loss, My Review: Why is it really difficult to talk about a book that you really love? Cryer's Cross is just too amazing for words. I was literally speechless after I closed the last page of the book.

I have never read a book so fast in my life; I was sucked in right from the beginning and refused to put it down. I neglected everything for a few hours and finished Cryer's Cross in one setting.

The author, Lisa Mcmann, knows how to capture her readers. This book had a mix of everything: from death, loss, love, psychosocial issues, happiness and suspense- a very good balance. I loved the mysterious feel that this book leaves you with; it is creepy but not scary. I'm usually not a fan of mysteries because I just freak myself out, but I just loved the level of suspense Cryer's Cross held. I wanted to know everything that was going on in this small town and I found myself not being able to read and turn the pages fast enough! It took turns that I never saw coming-

It will have you guessing and answering the question, "what in the world happened to these two missing teens?" Although my thoughts & guesses were off, I love books where they have my mind thinking even after I set the book down.

The tie-in quotes from "WE" are just brilliant, and makes Cryer's Cross complete. Although at the time of reading these passages they don't make a whole lot of sense, they eventually bring the following chapter together.

As a psychology student, I really enjoyed the connection that Lisa made with the main character's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and outcome of storyline. Sometimes it is hard to being a character who has a mental illness feel real and believable on a piece of paper, but she does an excellent job at bringing the 'OCD' Kendall to life.

Another idea that I really enjoyed in this book was the idea of Kendall being afraid to 'move on' with her life without Nico. He was all she knew and was very dependent on him, so when he disappeared her thoughts were disheveled. When another boy, Jacian comes along that she develops a friendship with as the story goes on, Kendall is faced with a hard decision; does she move on or does she keep her life on hold in hopes that her best friend/boyfriend, Nico's mysterious disappearance will be solved.

Overall, I loved this book!! I would give Cryer's Cross a 5 out of 5 stars.
It is categorized as YA book, but considering some of the content, I would suggest this book be aimed more towards older teens and up. Great captivating storyline and fast paced read! ...more

Like · see review

Jan 23, 2011 Theresa rated it really liked it

Creepy, enticing, and suspenseful, Cryer's Cross is a must read for those who like supernatural mysteries.

Kendall and her small town are just starting to recover from a young girl's disappearance when someone very close to Kendall also becomes missing. A couple of teens have just moved to town and immediately the older of the two is accused of having something to do with the disappearances. Now as Kendall begins to grieve again, she must decide if her heart can take another friendship and if sh ...more

Like · see review

May 11, 2013 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, library

Christine for the younger generation. :)

I really enjoyed this story and the audio presentation is delightful. Highly recommend.

Like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Jack Goff rated it it was amazing

Amazing! I couldn't put it down. ...more

Like · see review

May 07, 2011 Bia rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

I'm completely scared of a desk, that's for sure...but I loved the Jacián and Kendall dinamics throughout the book.
I can't express the fear this book instigate in me. Really, evil is lurking any place. ...more

Like · see review